Jennifer Lawrence & Rose Byrne Interview For ‘X-Men: First Class’

Matthew Vaughn’s bright, bold and thrill-packed ‘X-Men: First Class’ charts the epic beginning of the X-Men saga, and reveals a secret history of famous global events. Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto’s Brotherhood and Professor X’s X-Men. Check out what Rose Byrne (CIA agent Moira MacTaggert) and Jennifer Lawrence (Raven Darkholme/Mystique) had to say about the film below. ‘X-Men: First Class’ is in cinemas everywhere now.

What themes interested you in this film?

Rose Byrne: I think it’s that universal theme of being in the minority, whether if it’s because of your religion, sexuality, ethnicity, whatever it is. I think it’s a really powerful metaphor for that, but done in a really fun and entertaining way.

I love the notion of being able to show your true self as a mutant. Raven’s whole inner turmoil about how far she can go being blue, how far Hank can go being Beast, that idea I really love. Everyone goes through that I think, how much of your true self do you show to the world without feeling insecure, you don’t have to be a mutant to relate to that (laughs).

That’s a big part of your character, Raven’s feelings with being a mutant.

Jennifer Lawrence: Yeah, I think she goes through, like any insecure teenager would with any secret, I think she’s learned to live with it, because she’s had to, but she hasn’t really owned it yet. She’s mostly ashamed of it. What I like about the movie is that she slowly starts to realise that it is a blessing and that she should be proud of it. Slowly she grows into it and starts to really be proud of it.

What themes interested you Jennifer?

Jennifer Lawrence: The fact that everybody evolves in the film. That’s one of my favourite things in movies and every script I read – how characters evolve, how a specific character evolves, or how a story evolves. Each character goes through a huge evolution period in this film. At the beginning a lot of us are isolated, we felt all alone, then all of a sudden being really together, joining together and becoming these really iconic figures of X-Men, then that separates. It’s fascinating, people choosing sides but you get to see why.

Your character has a great relationship with the mutants and especially Charles Xavier.

Rose Byrne: The films set in 1962 so female operatives in the field for the CIA were very very new, it’s a huge deal for her to be there on this job. She’s a very tenacious, ambitious, driven and a little uptight (laughs). I think she’s the audiences eyes in that sense of discovering this whole new world. She’s like the audience, she’s not a mutant, but she’s a pioneer in a way, she believes mutants can help, co-exist and live in this harmonious society, she’s with Charles on that. She truly believes they can live side by side, and benefit from one another, that’s a wonderful quality to have.

I think she admires him because of his mind, he’s brilliant, this genetic expert…and also she needs his help. And then I think he slowly wins her over with the things he does to help her, but also his charm and his big blue eyes (laughs), it’s James McAvoy! Really they are united in a cause, that’s the other huge part of their relationship, they’re on the same page, they want the same thing, she truly believes what he believes.

Raven also has a very interesting and complex relationship with Charles.

Jennifer Lawrence: Yeah, she has kind of convoluted feelings with him. He’s really the only man in her life, she loves him and they’re like brother and sister but at the same time I think there’s a tiny tiny bit of a crush, so there’s probably a little bit of jealousy. They’re best friends, she gets a little protective and jealous.